Episode15

Don't Give Up!

Don’t compare yourself to others raising support. DeNail Sparks, Director of Ministry Partnership Development at Every Nation Ministries talks about how to keep moving forward even if you feel you’ve hit a plateau.

Article15

Plateaus don’t last forever

We hope you are well on your way to being fully funded. The training and resources you’ve received were designed to help you to succeed and be encouraged as you grow deeper in your relationship with God and your partners in ministry.

Though some people are fully funded in 100 days, it can sometimes take a little–or a lot–longer. Unfortunately, it is easy to find yourself stuck somewhere between where you were, and where you ultimately need to be. You may be feeling like you are lost somewhere on a lonely plateau.

However, there is encouraging truth you should know. If you have plateaued in your support raising and are seeing very little movement, you are not alone. It happens to a lot of support raisers. I know because it happened to me! Why? Support raising is hard work, and sometimes its routine takes exhausting effort that is a great departure from our previous “normal.”

I’ve spoken with many others who have gone before you, and I humbly submit the following suggestions for people who are feeling the frustration of a support raising plateau:

• Download and listen to The God Ask audiobook repeatedly. Ingesting the contents may help to further shift your thinking and approach. Whether mowing the lawn or driving your car, redeem the time to fill your mind with continued training. Habits, thinking, and attitudes toward support raising can take time to change.
• Consider being vision-driven enough to go through the Bootcamp a second time around (this happens more frequently than you might think). Though this will cost time and resources, your ministry vision is worth the continued investment! One recent second-time Bootcamp graduate told me, “The first time I did the Bootcamp, I felt like I was trying to get a drink from a fire hose that I couldn’t ingest quickly enough. It was thrilling, but also a bit overwhelming. The second time around was not only still a lot of fun, but it was more like drinking from a water fountain that better quenched my thirst. I’m so glad I went through a second time, and am now fully funded!”
• Seek out a new accountability partner, or perhaps even a more clearly defined personal coach who truly understands support raising and may be willing to walk with you more closely as you “tweak” some of your approaches.
• Go through the namestorming exercise once more if you’re starting to run out of names. You might want to read some of our SRS Blog articles on Contacts and Referrals.

Keep moving forward! Don’t stop now. Our hope is that you will be part of the team of ministry workers who will help flood the nations for the name of Jesus Christ!

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”–Colossians 3:23 [ESV]

 

May God bless you in building your team of ministry partners,

The SRS Team